Revision as of 14:28, 7 December 2011

Atmosphere and energy are strongly linked: Fossil-fuel energy use contributes to air pollution, climate change, and perturbations to the weather, and the atmosphere feeds back as renewable wind, solar, and hydroelectric energy sources. Because atmospheric problems can be mitigated by increasing energy efficiency, developing new energy technologies, and shifting to less-polluting energy sources, and because it is important to study the atmospheric impacts of new energy technologies, the two areas, atmosphere and energy, are naturally coupled together.

The Atmosphere/Energy (A/E) undergraduate curriculum prepares undergraduates for an A/E master’s degree program, as well as careers in industry, research, consulting, government, non-governmental organizations, and academia. The A/E degree is NOT an ABET-accredited degree, as ABET accreditation is advantageous only for obtaining specific jobs that do not overlap with those that students obtaining the A/E degree would generally consider. The degree is accredited as part of Stanford’s accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

A/E students take classes in both Atmosphere and Energy, as well as classes that integrate the two. The curriculum is flexible ― students more interested in one field or the other can take most of their Engineering Depth classes in the area of their choice. Similarly, students desiring to focus more on technology or on science can take the appropriate Depth classes to suit their interest.

Students can tailor a minor focusing on A/E within the minor for Environmental Engineering. Qualified students may also apply to engage in the A/E Honors program (see Chapter 6).

...plus one elective from above or from others on the ENGR Fundamentals Approved Courses List. Note that ENGR 70B/X cannot be used if ENGR 70A is taken as the second Fundamental; nor is ENGR 25B allowed as the elective course

Technology in SocietySTS 110. Ethics and Public Policy (also fulfills Writing in Major req.)(W) 5units

See the Navigation Bar at left for A/E 4-Year Plans and Program Sheets; any plan from a year you are enrolled at Stanford as an undergraduate is allowed.

SUGGESTED COURSE CONCENTRATIONS AND SEQUENCES

Subject to the requirements outlined above, students have flexibility in selecting their depth electives and other courses to best suit their interests. If you would like to see two suggested programs outlined, one with an emphasis on energy and the other on atmospheric studies, go to the 4-Year Plans page and open the A/E plans for 2011-12. Either approach provides the necessary preparation for the master’s degree program in Atmosphere/Energy.